Unsung Class of 2004

Vietnam veteran takes life one day at a time

June 14, 2010

MARTINSBURG - Vietnam veteran Stephen Rew, 55, has seen some tough times in his life, but he said he remembers to stop and smell the roses.

"I always say I was born in Baltimore, raised in Glen Burnie, (Md.), and I grew up in 'Nam," Rew said Thursday in between fixing up some furniture for his sister and offering to take a look at a friend's car.

In the late afternoon interview, Rew shared stories about Vietnam and what he's done since, including living in his van for about 15 years and helping out friends along the way.

Rew was 19 when he left home for Vietnam, in February of '68.

"That's when the bus picked me up, and there's no turning back," he said. "Mama can't help you after that."

He said he witnessed a few things in Vietnam that he wishes he could forget, but he's learned to just take things as they come.

Rew served as a Seabee steel worker third class.

"Some people have never heard of a Seabee," he added.

Seabees were part of construction battalions in the U.S. Navy's Civil Engineer Corps. Although Seabees were considered non-combat, Rew said that doesn't mean they didn't see dangerous places.

"We'd go in and make it safe for the Marines to land," he said. "Our motto is 'we build, we fight.'"

When Rew served in Vietnam, he admired the villagers he came in contact with and how they had simple lives with few possessions. In some ways, he adopted their way of life.

He's travels pretty light, moving around and working a little bit here and there, he said. He did stay put for a while in Nashville, Tenn., and right now he's living in Martinsburg and helping take care of things for his elderly friends, Mr. and Mrs. Barkley.

"I'm their live-in caretaker," he said. He's stayed with the Barkleys about five or six months, and they give him a place to stay and let him use their garage to fix up old cars.

His friend Emma W. Layton said Rew always offers to take a look at her car when something's not running properly.

"He helps me out and saves me a lot of money," said 80-year-old Layton, a volunteer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. "He's a wonderful man; he's there to help everyone in need."

She met Rew at the VA center, and she said he's always good to people.

"There's not many gentlemen left, and he is a gentleman."

While Layton was talking about how he's a great friend, Rew cracked a smile and tried to get her to stop saying nice things about him.

"You're going to make me blush," he said.

Instead of listening to Layton's compliments, Rew quickly returned the conversation back to some of the places and things he saw in Vietnam.

Rew's home base was at Da Nang, but he said he traveled "wherever they needed me."

He had a wide range of duties, which included driving heavy equipment, construction and steel work.

"I was multi-tasking before the word was around," he said.

Rew's duties were part of Naval Support Activity, and his assignments kept him moving around frequently.

"My story's different, because most everybody over there had a company or division. Not me; I went over alone and came back alone."

Rew did meet people along the way, and he said he really liked some of the villagers. But he saw some of their lives ruined because of money.

Rew said he developed a real disliking for money after seeing frequent currency changes in Vietnam that destroyed the lives of villagers, who had worked hard for their earnings and then became suicidal when the currency changed suddenly.

"The 14 months I was there, I saw (currency changes) happen three times," he said. "I've seen innocent families sitting around crying, looking at a whole basket of worthless money. It gave me a real bad taste."

Rew still remembers some of the worst things he saw in Vietnam, including children screaming and crying after getting hit with napalm or gunfire.

"That's the most helpless feeling you've ever had because you can't help this child."

There were other awful experiences for him in Vietnam, including the times he was surrounded by gunfire and explosions.

The worst was the night of Feb. 21, 1969, he said. That was the day a major offensive attacked American bases all over South Vietnam, killing 1,140 Americans. The heaviest fighting was around Saigon, but fights raged all over.

Rew was near a place called the Triangle at a fuel depot six miles south of Da Nang, when a huge explosion rocked the area.

"It was a shockwave," he said, adding he'll never forget the smoke, dust and explosions that surrounded him.

"There were rounds going off at random - where are you going to go?"

He remembers seeing the huge cloud of smoke and dust coming toward him before it threw him backward into a utility pole.

That explosion killed eight soldiers. Rew was one of 37 injured, and although he hurt his back that night, Rew said he didn't go to the hospital right away.

"There were too many things to do."

When he did go to the hospital, his doctor said there was nothing wrong. But Rew was in constant pain.

"All my problems stem from that night," he said, looking down and shaking his head a little.

Today Rew's back is "about as brittle as spaghetti" with degenerative disk disease and the onslaught of scoliosis, he said. He also has problems in his neck and shoulders.

Rew said he's gone through several rough patches in his life, most of them because of his back injuries.

"It's hard for me to keep a job," he said. "Because I can just get up the wrong way and I'm down and out."

"I've never even applied for a credit card in my life because I know I couldn't keep a job long enough to pay it off."

Rew said he really doesn't have much income and he's not on disability. But he hopes to finally get on disability this September once he goes to a hearing in Washington, D.C.

Despite some hardships and bad memories, Rew said serving in the military was good for him.

"In a way, it was a good experience," he said. "I saw some beautiful places. I learned a lot."

Rew was honorably discharged in 1971, after serving 14 months in Vietnam and then working at a Navy Base in Gulfport, Miss..

Seabees helped on the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Camille, the second strongest 20th century hurricane to hit the United States. The hurricane hit on Aug. 17, 1969.

"We had to rebuild most of the base, and we went around and did things for the neighborhood," he said.

Since his experiences in the military, Rew has taken one day at a time.

Though he doesn't attend church, Rew said he believes in God and lives a good life.